Resurgence of Ancient Darkness (35 page)

“Yes, Master, I think so,” she said.

“Excellent. Our plan is to coordinate a series of attacks. We will attack at this table, and at the same time some elite, and possibly some master, wizards will attack the other tables. If the grandmaster sorcerer appears at any of the tables, Grandmaster Vydor or Grandmaster Korshalem will come to destroy him. We should be able to handle any one of the other masters, and if more than one is present, one or more of our master-level wizards will come,” he said.

“Why doesn’t the full council just move from table to table until they are all wiped out?” asked Phoenix.

“For two reasons: firstly, we are trying to force them to split their forces up. If the grandmaster sorcerer shows, we want him to have to fight alone. Secondly, if we move our forces out here the sorcerers might possibly launch an attack on our home. While the master wizards could get back quickly, many millions might be killed before the attack could be stopped. We have to keep our defenses strong until we know where they are,” said Shadow.

“Master, that’s the same answer you gave us during operation Show of Force. Is war always so much of a guessing game and a balancing act?” I asked.

“Yes, Dusty, it is,” he replied. After waiting for more questions, he turned to Spectra. “You faced the green-hooded master sorcerer once already. How would you judge him?”

“Master, I think I could have beaten him had I realized sooner what he was, so maybe his level is advanced journeyman, at best. Once we were in the Spirit Realm, he gained considerable power, possibly to elite level,” she said.

“Good. Our suspicions appear to be correct,” he said.

“Master, based on my research, unless they managed to get another crate they should be decaying in power,” said Spectra.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Master, I believe they are actively trying to make a return, which takes a tremendous amount of power. If so, they are burning through whatever they have stored in the tables, and once that is gone, they are dead,” she said.

“And the amount of energy in the tables somehow relates to their strength?” he asked.

“Sort of, Master. It is more that it relates to how much of themselves they can push into this realm,” she said.

“But you seemed to think they would still be far from full strength even in the Spirit Realm,” said Phoenix.

“Yeah, magic in the Spirit Realm doesn’t work the same way as it does here. They need to fully manifest themselves here to return to their full power,” she said.

“Excellent. That means we should be able to defeat them without help. The other thing we need to talk about is training and preparation for this assault on their table. We are about three months away from our target, which is not a lot of time. I have reviewed the training logs from the games that the Shadow Fox has been running, and I am very impressed. Shea, do you think you can set up something like that quickly here on the Nevermore?” he asked.

“Yes, Master. I have been talking to Karlith about it, and he thinks it can be done,” she said.

“The big question is: how do we structure them to be most effective in the time we have?” asked Shadow.

“Master, if I may speak, Shea and I noticed something very interesting about the training,” said Karlith.

“What is that?” asked Shadow.

“Well, Master, maybe it would be better if Shea explained it,” he said.

“Master, back in Korshalemia when wizards go to battle, they all tend to follow the same strategy. They find the safest, most sheltered location, and from there they cast the most powerful spells they can. This means that a major part of any combat plan is always first to find shelter for your magi, and next to break through to kill the opponents’ magi. The Battle Wizards under your father appear to be following the same plan, which I assume is due to Master Starbiter’s influence. The Dragon Guard, however, is completely different,” she said.

“How so?” asked Shadow.

“Master, the Dragon Guard is always on the front lines, getting in and among the enemy. Instead of staying back and casting mighty spells, we charge in casting spells chosen primarily for their casting speed. It’s almost the exact opposite of what Korshalemian magi do.”

“Yes!” called out Spectra in excitement.

“What?” asked Shadow.

“That’s it! That’s why we need to train the way we do!” she said. As her initial excitement faded, she looked around and slowly sank back in her chair. I could see she was embarrassed. “Sorry, Master.”

“No need to be sorry. Please go on,” he said.

“Master, the martial arts program I asked you to enroll everyone in teaches you to react to multiple close-quarters enemies in quickly-changing environments. That is something only faced on the front lines,” she said.

“
Why didn’t you say something like that before?”
I asked privately.

“Sorry, Master. I would have explained it sooner if I had understood it myself. Shea’s comments just finally put things together for me.” She answered my question out loud, I assumed for the benefit of the others.

“What does that mean for our training?” asked Shadow.

“Master, with only a few months to work with, we should arrange the training to focus on our strengths and maximize them. After this mission is completed, we should mix some training in from the other style of combat so that we can be familiar with it. Maybe an eighty-twenty split. Also, knowing what our core strengths are, we should adjust all attack plans on this table to play to them as much as possible,” said Karlith.

“It sounds like a great plan. We can use the empty Dark Conure and cargo bays three and four as the game field. I want to start these training games by the end of the week. Karlith, you will captain them for the Dragon Guard. Shea, you are welcome to keep them up on the Shadow Fox when you are on missions, but I think Karlith is a better choice for the unit at large,” said Shadow.

“I agree, Master,” said Shea.

Soon after that that we concluded the meeting and everyone was sent off to handle their responsibilities. Everyone, that is, except for Spectra and myself.

I was worried about being asked to stay behind. I figured that meant we were in trouble. Too many times in my past I had been called down to private meetings like this; it was always in response to yet another failure or yet another way I had let people down. I didn’t know what I had done this time but, whatever it was, it appeared I was taking Spectra down with me.

Once everyone had left other than Shadow, Spectra, and myself, Shadow set us up some refreshments and said, “Please relax. I have some things to go over with you personally, but no one is in trouble. Flame may join us at some point, but other than that it will be only ourselves.”

“
What’s going on?”
sent Spectra privately.

“
I don’t know yet,”
I sent.

“First, let us talk about you two,” he said.

“What do you mean, Master?” I asked.

“Your relationship and upcoming marriage,” he said.

“Master, you said that wouldn’t be a problem,” I started.

“Apparently Mantis asked Shea about it in front of Grandmaster Vydor, so Shea immediately put in her recommendation that the marriage be allowed,” he said.

“Mantis, Master?” asked Spectra.

“Yes, according to Shea he stated that he could tell merely by looking at you that you were planning to get married soon. I do not know how he could do that, but he did,” said Shadow.

“
Why would Mantis care?”
Spectra sent privately.

“
I dunno,
” I sent back. “Master, what did he say?”

“Grandmaster Vydor sent me a message that simply states, ‘Based on the recommendation of Shea, I approve an exception to the rule in this case so that Dusty and Spectra can marry and remain in service,’” he said.

“Great! We’ll have to thank her somehow,” I said.

“Yes, but she said something else that I wanted you to hear. She said she believes that Grandmaster Vydor had fully intended to permit your wedding without her recommendation,” he said.

“Really?” asked Spectra.

“Really. Both of you have troubled backgrounds, but you should know that here you have family, and that family includes Grandmaster Vydor. We all are here for you, no matter what,” he said.

“Thanks, Master Shadow,” I said.

“Now, we can perform your wedding during the next week, or we can wait until after we destroy the table. The choice is yours,” he said.

“Why only in the next week?” I asked.

“Because I have a special mission for you,” he said. He stood and walked over to the viewing screen, which was currently displaying an outside view, as if it were a window. “It is a very dangerous mission, so you are free to reject it. Only the three of us will know if you do. That is the real reason I waited until everyone else had left. You can tell everyone we talked about your wedding; just do not mention the mission at all if you decide to reject it,” he said.

“Master, what’s the mission?” I asked.

“I am concerned that if we delay our move until we reach the table we will be caught off-guard and outflanked. I need better intelligence in advance. So I would like the two of you to travel to the Spirit Realm, find any one of the tables from there, and use that to build a map of all the tables ahead of time. I also want to know anything more we can learn about the sorcerers, and I believe you will find them in the Spirit Realm near their connection to the tables,” he said.

“
What do you think?
” sent Spectra privately.

“
Can you do it?”
I asked.

“
Yes. It would take time, but we sure can,”
she replied.

“
How much danger would there be?
” I asked.

“
Almost none, as long as we are not detected,
” she replied.

“What are you thinking?” asked Shadow.

I figured he knew we were talking privately, so I decided not to pretend we weren’t. “Master, we were debating whether we should take this mission. Spectra thinks she can find the tables, but it might take some time.”

“How much time?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, Master. I’ve never tried anything like this before. It could be hours, weeks, or months,” she answered. “I would expect at least weeks.”

“I thought as much, which is why I would want you to leave as soon as possible,” he said.

“Would it be too much to request a mission with nice beaches on a clean ocean with lots of fish?” I asked.

Shadow smiled broadly and said, “I will keep that in mind for your future assignments, but I doubt you will find much of that in the Spirit Realm.”

“Master, the only real danger would be if they discovered us,” said Spectra.

“Oh? I have rarely been there, but it certainly seems a dangerous place to walk around,” said Shadow.

“To someone like Shea, it is, Master; but for those like Dusty and me, it is in some ways safer than this realm,” answered Spectra.

Shadow chuckled and said, “I suppose if we have the wedding first, you could think of it as a honeymoon!”

“
Oh, Dusty, let’s do this! It’s so much more our style than the frontal assault he’s planning for the rest of the Dragon Guard,”
sent Spectra privately.

“
And the wedding?”
I asked.

“
As soon as possible!”
she sent.

“Okay, Master, we will do it. But we would like to be married before we leave,” I said.

“Excellent! I will ask Shea to work with Flame to make it happen,” he said.

The day of our wedding had arrived. I was standing just outside the cargo bay that Shea and Flame had decorated for it. When we told Shea that our wedding was to be this week, she went into action and somehow got everything together. She picked out everything for it, at our request, so as I stood there outside the door I didn’t really know what to expect. Shea had gone over some of it in the rehearsal the previous night, but it was all a blur to me.

I heard the music start to play, and Rocky tapped me on the arm and said, “Hey, that's your cue.”

“Oh! Yeah,” I said. I pushed the button to open the doors to what I expected to be a bland cargo bay, maybe with a few decorations, but still a cargo bay. Instead what I saw was a beautiful Korshalemian temple of Light. The bare metal walls, the equipment tracks, the harsh lighting and all the other random bits that make up a working cargo bay were gone.

The walls were now some dark wood that I recognized only as the same wood used in the two temples I had previously visited. Along the walls were massive stained-glass windows identical to the ones I had admired in the temple at the wizards’ tower where we had stayed. Evenly spaced down each wall were elaborate fixtures holding many candles. The fiery light from them danced and created shadows that seemed to be alive throughout the room.

“Master,” whispered Rocky, and I realized I was still standing there in the doorway looking around.

I began to walk down the aisle as Shea had previously instructed. The seats on either side of the aisle were filled with various magi whom we had worked with over our years in the Dragon Guard, including the full crew of the Shadow Fox.

In the front row on my right sat Master Shadow and Master Flame, who were the closest thing I’d had to family in many decades. They were dressed in the full ceremonial armor of their rank. Next to them were Grandmaster Vydor and Master Kellyn, who were also both wearing their full ceremonial robes.

With them I saw Master Mantis with his signature hat removed to reveal a full head of somewhat wild, gray hair. Next to him was someone whom I had thought I would never see again: Shea’s brother, Craig. He smiled at me and gave me the hand sign he had taught me that meant, “All clear, proceed.”

Shea was standing at the front of the temple dressed in a ceremonial robe of some kind. In her hand was an old and battered book. I imagined it was some kind of holy book, but I didn’t recognize it. I took my place on the right side of the aisle.

Once I was in place the musicians began to play a new song, and everyone turned to watch Spectra’s entrance. Her appearance took my breath away. It was then that I realized I had never before seen her dressed in female clothing. When I’d met her at the Academy she always wore the unisex student robes, and once we’d joined Shadow she left her battle armor on all the time.